Thanks to IanAlphaAxel and guest for reviewing the previous chapter. This isn't the most exciting one since it's just a league one, but it has to be done!
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Chapter Twenty Eight: The League Challenge
Cynthia hopped off the back of her Togekiss and landed on the freshly cut grass, feeling the gentle breeze brush up against her skin. It had been quite a few long months since she had last set foot here and she almost felt like she was in the shoes of a challenger. Although the building had architecture reminiscent of the early days, the building was only just over a decade old. It was fashioned to look like the cathedral in Hearthome City, but designed for completely different purposes.
The building was built to pay tribute to all the native Pokemon of Sinnoh. Every Pokemon in the region had their image engraved on the white walls while the stained glass windows had the members of the current Elite Four in them. It was built on an island a fair distance away from the mainland to keep the unworthy away from its walls. Only those who had obtained the eight badges of Sinnoh could pass the gate leading to Victory Road.
She was the first Champion and the first female to ever claim the position. It was on her wishes the building should be used for battling purposes. The original intention was to make it a place of faith, but she had argued against the council members to make it the ultimate trainer's test. The Sinnoh Council no longer existed, having been replaced by the Elite Four and Champion, but in the pre-league days the council had made the decisions.
She returned her Togekiss to her pokeball and prepared to make her way inside the building when she felt the Xtransceiver in her pocket vibrate. Reaching a hand down inside, she pulled it out and glanced down at her notifications. A message from Steven. She opened it.
Hey Cynthia,
Hope you are well.
We need to talk. It's urgent.
-Steven.
She didn't want to have to deal with Steven right now, even if the matter was supposedly urgent. She didn't feel ready to meet with him again so soon. Before the Distortion World episode, Steven was her good friend from Hoenn, but now? She wasn't sure how to classify him. He had kissed her. Were they still friends? It wasn't like she had kissed him back. "Dammit Steven," she murmured.
She looked down at his message, debating with herself whether or not to reply or ignore. Replying would give him the indication she was interested, but ignoring him would make her look rude and disrespectful. The guy had gone out of his way to carry out some research he didn't have to do. She drummed her fingers on the device, wondering what course of action to take next.
Can't meet right now. Attending to league business.
Sorry.
-Cynthia.
She hoped that didn't sound too harsh, but it was true. She had returned to the league to have a discussion with the members of the Elite Four about the future. Charon most likely had another plan up his sleeve and she knew he needed to be stopped before the worst could happen. First of all, she had to send an investigation team to look into Charon's disappearance. Perhaps the strange Looker could prove himself. Her Xtransceiver vibrated again and she glanced down. Another message from Steven. She opened it.
Good to hear you are safe. I was really worried about you.
I understand that you busy. I hope we can meet up again once your business is done.
Missing you.
-Steven
Now she felt guilty. Damn Steven. Why did he have to make her feel bad? She half-considered changing her plans and meeting up with him instead, but she knew she couldn't do that. She was the Champion and duty to her region had priority over personal matters, such as matters dealing with love and other related topics. Damn Steven, she cursed inwardly again. If Candice had gotten word about this, she'd probably set Cynthia up on a date with Steven.
She put the Xtransceiver away and entered through the big wooden engraved door. The security guards, Pete and Tom, greeted her with smiles. They were brothers and quite different in terms of personality and appearance. Pete was the shy and lanky one. He could barely look at her in the eyes, and usually only looked in her direction when he thought she wasn't looking. Tom on the other hand, was outspoken and confident. He wasn't intimidated by her at all and had even asked her out on a date once. Needless to say, after she turned his offer down, he never asked again, but it didn't make things between them any different. He carried on like nothing had changed at all.
"Hey there Champion! It's been awhile since you've been home! Are you all right?" Tom said. Pete just smiled, but did not speak.
"I'm fine. I'm just here to prepare for the upcoming battle."
"Oh, there's a challenger on the way then?"
She nodded. "Yes. She's a friend of mine. Are the other members of the Elite Four home?"
"Yeah, they're in the lounge watching Aaron's bug show."
"Thank you, Tom. I'll see you guys later, all right?" She waved and they smiled back. Cynthia bypassed the shopkeeper, Samantha and nurse, Belinda. Both girls were in their early twenties and had only just recently been employed. They acknowledged her with nods and carried on with their work as Cynthia headed to the restricted area.
Only members of the league were allowed in this part of the building. Each member had their own sleeping quarters, bathroom and spa, but they shared the kitchen and the lounge. There was even an inside tennis court and squash court to ensure the trainers had their daily exercise. It was like being part of a royal family.
She found them now, lounging on a four-seater brown leather sofa in the living room, watching Aaron and his bug show. The others hadn't noticed her presence, but Aaron did. He stopped his show and called out to Cynthia. "Cynthia! You've returned!" The other members, Lucian, Flint and Bertha, stood up from their seat and waved.
"Where've you been, champ?" Flint said.
The grandma of the group, Bertha, smiled. "Have you been meeting with that boy again, Steven?"
Cynthia felt her cheeks redden. "No. I've been on Champion business," she said.
Bertha chuckled and sat down again. "You've just missed out on Aaron's bug show."
Aaron shrugged. "It's all right. Cynthia knows all about my bugs anyway." He walked over to Cynthia. "So, what's been happening? What's going on with Team Galactic? We haven't kept up with the news – Flint keeps hogging the television to play video games."
"Don't lay the blame on me! You were playing them too!" Flint defended himself. Aaron rushed over to the sofa, picked up a pillow and hurled it at Flint's head, but the Fire-type master just smacked it out of the way and laughed. "Chill out, man." His expression turned serious. "What's the go with Team Galactic? We heard a few things about them. Cyrus – he's the brains behind the company, isn't he? Did you lock him up?"
Wow, they really didn't know much about the Team Galactic situation after all. "Cyrus isn't the mastermind we thought he was – someone else has been making the plans. Cyrus was just a decoy, a diversion. Charon is the mastermind behind Galactic. That's actually why I'm here – I'll need your help."
"Just tell us what needs to be done, Cynthia and we will do it," Bertha said softly.
"We need to find out where Charon has disappeared to. His last known location was Mt. Coronet, but I'm sure he's moved far away from there. I know he's planning something, and I know it has to be something dangerous, but I don't know what it is yet. I need someone who can track him down."
Flint raised a hand. "Well, we can't leave yet – there's a strong challenger on the way here. Her name is Dawn. Volkner sent me a message earlier."
"I spotted a large group of funny people with horrible haircuts a couple of weeks ago," Lucian said slowly, pushing a strand of hair behind his right ear. "They were boarding a ship not bound for international travel." He strolled over to a map of the region hanging on the wall and pointed to Stark Island. "If you were going to hide what better place would there be than Stark Island?" He moved away and leaned against the wall.
"My brother is at Stark Island right now on vacation – I could ask him to keep an eye out for trouble?" Flint suggested, placing his hands behind his head, placing both his feet on the table. Bertha slapped his legs away, giving him a stern look, and he removed them, heaving a sigh.
Cynthia nodded. "That sounds like a fine plan, but I don't want him going in there alone. We don't know what Charon could be planning."
"Do you want to send the gym leaders over?" Aaron said.
"Not the gym leaders – they're too recognizable. I need someone the Galactic people aren't familiar with." She thought hard about possible faces, running through a list of names, but no one fit the requirements for the job. "Any ideas?"
"What about the police?" Bertha suggested.
Police… Wait, Looker. The weird fellow who claimed he worked for the International Police organization. Galactic weren't familiar with him and he was determined to arrest them. This would give him the chance to shut down their plans. "Thanks, Bertha. I know someone who can pair up with Buck. His name is Looker."
"Mr. Handsome?" Flint said. Four pairs of eyes looked at him strangely. "My brother met him once during a surfing lesson – he said his name was Looker, but he likes to be called Handsome by the ladies. He's quite the eccentric guy. I have his number if you need it. My brother nicked it off him." Cynthia decided not to question him further. Looker was interested in surfing? Flint handed the contact details over and Cynthia placed it in her pocket.
"Thanks, Flint. I'll let you all know what happens after the battles, all right?"
Cynthia turned to leave when Aaron spoke up. "This could be our last day together as a group," he said, his tone laced with sadness. "You're all like family to me," he added.
Bertha stood up and pulled him into a hug then drew back. "We'll forever remain close friends no matter what happens. Nothing can break the bond we share."
A minute of silence followed Aaron's words. The possibility of losing her title didn't concern her – Dawn had proven herself to be a worthy replacement and besides, losing her title would allow her more freedom to do as she pleased without having to worry about politics and such. "I want everyone to give it their best," Cynthia said.
"I think it's time for a group cheer moment," Flint said, moving in to form a circle, placing one hand into the middle. Lucian rolled his eyes, but joined in, adding his hand on top. Bertha was the third to join and Aaron followed soon after. They all looked to Cynthia. "Come on, Cynthia. You're part of this too."
Cynthia stepped in and placed her right hand on the top. It was a sappy moment, but it brought a smile to her face. She hadn't spent a lot of time with her friends over the past year because of the Galactic business. It was nice to know they wanted to remain in touch with her after her reign came to an end. The relationship between the Champion and the Elite Four wasn't always a positive one. Blue Oak was the perfect example – when he had lost, the Elite Four members of his reign had celebrated.
"I want to thank Arceus for giving me the opportunity to become an Elite Four member of the Sinnoh league and for introducing me to these great people!" Aaron started. "Flint, Lucian, Bertha and Cynthia – you are the greatest of friends and I feel honoured to have met you." Bertha patted him on the shoulder. Flint nodded and Cynthia smiled.
"May Arceus watch over us all and give us his blessing to achieve our very best," Lucian said, closing his eyes in prayer. The others bowed their eyes and closed their eyes while Cynthia kept hers open. She was never one to partake in prayer. After about a minute, the Elite Four members opened their eyes.
"Who wants to play a game?" Flint said.
"Flint!" Flint raced away and the boys chased after him, leaving Cynthia alone with Bertha.
Bertha chuckled. "Boys…" she said with a grin. "Now tell me Cynthia, how is your friend, Steven?"
Oh Arceus.
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Victory Road should've been called The Road of Frustration. All the paths seemed to lead to one destination - a dead end. Sometimes she thought she had found the right path only to find herself ending back in her original starting position. She had falsely assumed Victory Road was just one single path leading to the league building. Who in the name of Arceus had thought this was a good idea? Was this place supposed to test trainers before the final challenge?
She had lost count of how many times she had taken a wrong path. It didn't help it was pretty hard to navigate because of the dim light. The trainers lurking around behind boulders were a pain as well. Fortunately, her Pokemon were more than well-equipped to deal with any pesky opponents who tried to steal her badges. Did the police officers even know there wild trainers hiding in the caves? Or did they assume they too were challengers?
"Hey you! Give me your badges now or pay the price!" a boy called out to her.
Dawn growled. Hours of walking around aimlessly had taken their toll on her patience levels. She threw a dirty look in the boy's direction, a scowl on her face. The boy was dressed in ripped denim shorts and a singlet. To top it all off, he was wearing his cap backwards. For some reason, that annoyed her. She wanted to take that cap off and throw it away. Why would someone wear a cap inside a dark cave? There was no sunlight!
"You don't want to mess with me," Dawn warned.
The boy snickered. "Oh yeah? What if I do? You won't be able to defeat my team! Go, Mighty and Powerful!" Mighty and Powerful? What kind of moron would name their Pokemon that? She expected something 'mighty and powerful', but instead she spotted two Bidoofs. "Take that!"
This boy had to be trolling. There was no way he serious about this… right? "Hey, ow! Watch it!" Dawn snapped. The two Bidoofs were ramming their heads into her legs, trying to knock her over onto her backside. She immediately brought out her toughest and scariest Pokemon, Hydreigon, to deal with the pests.
"What is that?!" the boy shrieked, falling over onto his backside. "I want my mummy!" He clambered to his feet and sprinted away in the opposite direction, Mighty and Powerful racing after him. Hydreigon made a funny noise which sounded a bit like a chalk running across a blackboard. Was he laughing? She summoned her other five Pokemon to join in the exploration. Their eyes were better adjusted to the lack of light.
Haunter floated through a wall then returned a few moments later, pointing towards the east. She turned to look and saw a narrow passageway leading to a place she hadn't seen before. Unfortunately, the passageway was so narrow that only something as thin as stick could fit through. "Sorry, Haunter. I can't fit through that." Hydreigon opened his mouth and launched a beam at the wall, shattering it into pieces. "Well, I suppose that works too," she said lightly, casually shrugging her shoulders.
She walked through the broken down obstacle and was stopped by a male wearing a purple cape. Her first thought was a magician, but then she remembered that dragon tamers liked to wear capes. Lance and Clair had started up that fashion trend. "My name is Clinton. You shall not pass." He summoned his three Pokemon. One was a cute little bird which looked like it had clouds for wings, and the other two were dragons with red bellies.
She brought out her Pokedex to obtain data, starting with the bird.
Swablu. It can't relax if it or its surroundings are not clean. It wipes off dirt with its wings.
Sounded like a Pokemon her mother would like. She moved to the next two, focusing on the smaller one with the large mouth.
Gible. It attacks using its huge mouth. While its attacks are powerful, it hurts itself out of clumsiness, too.
And finally, she moved to the final one, which bore some resemblance to the Gible.
Gabite. The evolved form of Gible. It loves sparkly things. It seeks treasures in caves and hoards the loot into its nest.
She put the Pokedex away. They were all Dragon-types. Dragon-types were weak against their own types. She turned to Hydreigon. "This one is all yours, Hydreigon. Use Dragon Pulse!" Hydreigon conjured up a glowing beam of draconic energy and blasted the three dragons away, including their trainer. Clinton raised a hand weakly then dropped it down, a groan escaping through his lips. Poor Clinton, but she didn't have time to lend a hand to a trainer. Besides, it was his fault for challenging her to a battle, knowing she had a big Hydreigon behind her.
She continued venturing down the path following her Haunter's directions until she finally spotted bright sunlight a few metres up ahead. The exit out of The Road of Frustration. She almost skipped to the end when someone walked through the light, blocking her path. Torn jeans. Ugly smirk. Paul. "So you did make it here after all. I thought that perhaps you might've perished down here, but you haven't. That's a good thing though – I have orders to take you in."
She took a step back. Last time, Paul had almost taken down an entire city. She had become stronger since then, but he had probably grown in strength as well. "Paul, get out of my way."
He arched his neck and cackled. "You're not ready to take on the league so why don't you just come with me now and spare yourself the embarrassment of losing?" Her Houndoom stepped forwards and growled. Paul seemed too not care at all. "Ah, my Houndoom. How long did it take you to evolve the useless hound?"
"Shut up, Paul."
His smirk widened. "Come on, Dawn. Let's hang out together. Just you and me, yeah?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Paul." She tried to push past him, but he shoved her aside, ramming her into a wall. He wagged a finger in her face. "You're not leaving. Not without me."
Hydreigon prepared to blast him away, but Dawn shook her head, looking at him with pleading eyes. Hydreigon's attack would injure them both and most likely bring down the cave on top of them, burying them all alive. The dragon didn't seem impressed, but at least he didn't attack. Her other Pokemon were equally concerned - even the baby of her team, her Eevee, looked ready to fight.
"Who do you work for, Paul?"
His hot breath washed over her face. "Someone not to be crossed."
She thought she caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes. "You've disappointed someone."
"You know nothing." He pulled away and turned his back to her. "You'd be doing us both a favour if you surrender now without a fight."
She pushed herself away from the wall. "I don't surrender."
He turned around again, his gaze hardening, hand reaching down for his Pokemon. "You're a fool, Dawn. You had the chance to get out of this the easy way, but you just have to screw things up, don't you?" His own Torterra emerged, and he looked much tougher than earlier. Dawn swallowed. "I'll bring this cave down on both of us if that's what it takes to bring you down."
"That's insane! You'll have us both killed!"
"Care to put that assumption to the test?" She tried to make a break for the exit, but he held her back, grabbing her arm roughly. He brought his head forward, his warm breath washing over her face. Wincing, she tried to pull her head away. "It ends today, Dawn. No more running away."
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Paul whipped his head around. Dawn followed. Barry raced towards her.
"Barry! What are you doing here?"
"I followed you, Dawn! Cynthia told me to keep an eye on you. The broken boulders made it easy to follow your trail." He turned to Paul. "Who is this?"
Paul scowled, releasing his grip on Dawn. He shoved her and she stumbled forwards. "Who is this, Dawn? Your boyfriend?" he said snidely.
"Dawn, get out of here. I'll keep him busy."
She gasped. "But Barry!"
"Go on, Dawn. You deserve to be the next Champion more than I do."
"But Barry, you wanted to be Champion too!"
"Yeah, I do, but there are more important things to worry about now like putting this guy in his place." She opened her mouth to protest further, but Barry wouldn't have it. "Just go. We'll talk later, Champ-to-be!" Dawn recalled her Pokemon and made a dash for the exit. Paul tried to tackle her to the ground, but he was knocked down by Barry. The two boys wrestled each other. She didn't look back.
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Up ahead, she saw the mammoth-sized cathedral sitting atop a cascading waterfall. The sunlight in the background only made it look far more imposing. She continued running, not stopping to catch her breath, just encase Paul was behind her. To be stopped now when she was right before the league would be devastating. "Here we are," she said, stopping at the water's edge, gazing up at the waterfall. "The Sinnoh Pokemon League."
She summoned her Honchkrow and climbed on her avian's back. Honchkrow lifted up into the air and flew up towards the building, giving Dawn a nice view of the cities in the distance. She could see the beaches of Sunyshore, the tall skyscrapers of Jubilife and Veilstone, the great marshland area of Pastoria and in the far distance, Mt. Coronet.
Honchkrow stopped at the grand entrance and allowed Dawn to climb off. Dawn returned the bird to her pokeball then walked up the door. The door opened by itself and Dawn walked in after getting over her excitement. "Hey there, Dawn! I can't say I'm surprised to see you here!" She jumped then turned around and spotted the gym advisor standing by the entrance to the right. He was the last person she expected to see standing here, but she supposed it made sense, seeing how he was a gym advisor.
"Hi."
He smiled widely. "Welcome to the Sinnoh League Cathedral, the official home to the Elite Four and the Champion! To gain entrance to the trainer's preparation area, you'll have to show your badges to the officers, Pete and Tom. Don't worry, they won't bite," he teased, winking. Dawn frowned. He cleared his throat and continued. "You'll be able to rest, dine and shop when you bypass the security gate. You'll even be able to train your Pokemon if you feel you're not quite strong enough in the trainer's area. This is the time to make sure your team is close to perfection as possible – once you go through the battling door, you won't be able to leave until you lose."
It all sounded so formal and controlled. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Update your moves, evolve your team to their final stages and don't go through until you're positive you're strong enough. Oh, and make sure you have heaps of status and healing items available. There's nothing worse than making it all the way to the end and finding out you have no items left." He smiled again. "Good luck!" He stepped aside, allowing her to walk past. She walked over towards the double glass doors which were guarded by two officers.
"Trainer ID card and badges, please," the one called Tom said. She knew his name because of his name badge. Opening her bag, she dug around for the items then handed them over. The officer pulled out a scanner and read her barcode then nodded. "All good! Sorry about the hassle – it's just sometimes we have people with stolen ID's. We have to make certain only those who have proven themselves enter."
"I understand."
"Please, step inside and make yourself at home."
He pushed a button to open the doors and Dawn stepped through into a larger room. It was like the league had its own little town in this building – a place to shop, a place to heal, a cuisine and even an area to sleep in. To the right, she saw a sign for 'training area – be warned – high level hostile Pokemon – no capturing'. That was a place she needed to visit after getting some rest since her Eevee was still under levelled. There was even an area to trade Pokemon.
"Hey there, mind if I get a quick interview with you?" A woman holding a microphone approached her. Tagging along behind her was a guy carrying a large video camera. Dawn raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry! Allow me to introduce myself! I'm Gabby, and this is my partner, Ty! We're freelancer journalists from Hoenn, but we've travelled here to record your battle!"
"Uh… ok then…"
The woman smiled. "Would you mind answering a few questions?"
"I'd prefer not to. You know, I just arrived and all…" She didn't like the thought of having her answers recorded on television for the region to see. Journalists always had a habit of changing things around if they felt it would give them more ratings.
Gabby sighed. "Aww, all right then. But we'll get you later!" They walked away.
Dawn headed over to the trader's area. Haunter evolved by trading and she figured now was the right time to evolve him to final stage. She pulled out her Xtransceiver and sent a message to Lucas telling him to drop by a trading station. She received a reply a few moments later with an enthusiastic 'sure thing, Dawn!'
She sat down at a computer and logged in with her details. Having done this before, she already had an account set up which remembered her previous trading history. She wondered how her traded Pokemon were faring with their new owners – hopefully, they hadn't been mistreated. Lucas' name popped up in the bottom right-hand corner requesting a trade. He was offering his Marill.
She answered a series of questions on the pop-up window. "Lucas has requested to trade with you. Would you like to trade with Lucas?"
She clicked 'Yes'. The second window popped up.
"What Pokemon would you like to offer? Please place the ball in the slot machine." Answering questions was a tedious process. Dawn placed Haunter's pokeball in the machine then hit 'Yes' again.
"Would you like to send a message to Lucas?"
This time, she clicked 'No'. The machine whirred to life and the process of exchange began. A few moments later she received Lucas' Marill. She didn't even bother picking up the pokeball and hovered her mouse over Lucas' name then clicked on the 'Trade with Lucas' option. Again, she answered the same questions. Her Haunter, now a Gengar, returned a few short seconds later. Dawn said her goodbyes to Lucas then logged out. She picked up her Gengar and headed over towards the Pokemon training area.
"Careful trainer, this area has some very tough Pokemon," a staff member said. "You should only go in if you feel prepared for it. These Pokemon are called Audino – Don't let their cute looks fool you. These ones are incredibly tough."
"I'm prepared."
"All right then. Step through the door. If you are ready to leave, just press the red button and the doors will open. Have fun!"
Dawn stepped through the doors finding herself in an indoors courtyard. She spotted a few chubby gerbil-type creatures running around in the long blades of grass. Grass brushed up against her legs, making them feel itchy, but she ventured further in to attract the attention of one of the Audino. They didn't look too tough. She summoned her Eevee. "Okay Eevee, it's time for you to battle."
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About two hours later, Dawn emerged from the trainer's area, covered in bruises and cuts. A few Audino had tackled her, but fortunately she had sustained no significant life-threatening injuries. Her Eevee hadn't fared so well – Eevee had been thrown aside, stomped on, chewed on, scratched, slashed and even sat on, but it had been vital in strengthening her. Now she was ready for evolution, but first, she had to be healed.
Cradling her Eevee, Dawn walked over to the healing area and handed her over to the nurse. The nurse took her immediately and placed her in the healing machine then returned to Dawn. "Are you all right? Do you need anything?"
Dawn shook her head. "I'm fine."
Moments later, the healing machine turned green, indicating Eevee was in peak condition. It was amazing how quickly the machines healed Pokemon. Super quick healing had unfortunately not been developed for humans yet. She picked up her Eevee then brought out the Water Stone she had received earlier in her journey.
She gave the stone to Eevee who sniffed at it. Eevee then licked it, pulled a face and jumped back, uncertain. Dawn scratched her head. The Dusk Stone had worked when her Murkrow had tapped it. Why wasn't it working now? She tapped on it and encouraged her Eevee to do the same. Eevee watched her closely then pounced, scratching at the surface with her claws.
Dawn dropped it on the floor when the surface became too cold to touch. Eevee ducked behind Dawn's back and covered her face with her bushy tail, peeking her head over, afraid. Dawn chuckled. "It's all right, Eevee." The stone burst into white light, shrouding her Eevee in an aura. The light faded seconds later and in its place was a blue aquatic Pokemon. A ridge ran down the back of her body.
Now it was time to update the moves of all her Pokemon. She headed over to the move tutor machine and placed her first pokeball into the slot. A screen with all her Pokemon's current information and stats appeared. Dawn moved to the next screen detailing moves. There were two windows – one with the information regarding what moves were available to her Pokemon and what moves each one could learn.
Some of the moves her Pokemon could learn had a price tag attached to them. She figured it was because her Pokemon hadn't reached the level yet, but the attack could still be purchased for a costly fee. Psychic, Ice Beam, Dark Pulse and Energy Ball cost at least thirty thousand dollars each. She purchased all four (after entering her banking details) then spent at least another half hour determining what attacks to teach and finally settled on the following:
Torterra lvl 55
Earthquake, Crunch, Giga Drain and Energy Ball
Honchkrow lvl 54
Night Slash, Aerial Ace, Dark Pulse and Psychic
Gengar lvl 53
Dark Pulse, Hypnosis, Shadow Ball and Dream Eater
Hydreigon lvl 52
Outrage, Hyper Voice, Tri Attack and Dragon Pulse
Houndoom lvl 52
Fire Blast, Thunder Fang, Flamethrower and Dark Pulse
Vaporean lvl 50
Surf, Ice Beam, Muddy Water and Water Pulse
I hope this will be enough, she thought to herself, as she made her way towards the shop. She spent her remaining cash on healing and status items then headed towards the battle doors. Another officer stood by. "I'm ready to take on the Elite Four challenge!"
The man tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure? Once you go in, there's no turning back. If you lose, you'll have to begin from the start."
She nodded. "Yes, I'm ready."
"Don't say I didn't warn you." He pushed a button to open them and she stepped through, drawing in a deep breath.
.
Stepping through the doors of the first battle area felt like entering a gym for the first time. The room had its own style and this one looked to replicate the environment of a forest. There was a fallen log in the corner (was it real?) and a couple of large thick bushes on the other side of the gym. The ground itself was covered in leaf-coloured tiles with wallpaper to match. Standing in the centre of the room was the first member of the Elite Four. He had light green hair and was dressed in casual wear – long brown pants and a black tank top. She reminded him of a tree for some reason.
"Welcome to the Pokemon League, Dawn!"
"Uh, hello."
"I'm Aaron of the Elite Four. It's good to meet you. Oh, I should explain, I'm a huge fan of bug Pokemon. Bug Pokemon are nasty-mean, and yet they're beautiful, too… Ok! Let me take you on!" He summoned his first Pokemon, an overgrown dragonfly-type creature with big red eyes.
Yanmega. The evolved from of Yanma. Its jaw power is incredible. It is adept at biting apart foes while flying by at high speed.
Great. A speed battle. She glanced down at her Pokemon, trying to determine who to use between Honchkrow and Houndoom. Both were well-equipped to deal with pesky Bug-types. She decided to settle on Houndoom, figuring his flame breath would make short work of his team.
"Yanmega, use Double Team!"
The dragonfly buzzed its wings. Nothing happened. Dawn frowned. What was the point of that? "Houndoom, use Flamethrower!" A stream of fire exited his mouth, but the Yanmega easily avoided the attack. Somehow, its Double Team move increased its ability to evade attacks. This was like fighting Volkner again. Landing a direct attack wouldn't work – she'd have to resort to a different technique.
"Yanmega, use Air Slash!" The dragonfly dashed forward, his wings turning into sharp razors, landing multiple hits on her canine's body.
Houndoom bared his teeth, a drop of saliva landing on the floor. Dawn looked around at the surrounding plants – were they real? It was worth a try. "Houndoom, use Flamethrower on the surrounding plants!" she ordered, pointing to the row of bushes on the far left. Houndoom did as ordered and unleashed a torrent of flames. The plants turned out be real and caught on fire, the stench of burned leaves filling the room. She owed that move to Flint.
"Yanmega, use U-Turn!" Yanmega hurled itself forward, colliding into the Houndoom, its stinger slapping his face. It returned to its pokeball and was replaced by a Scizor. Dawn wasn't pleased to see one – the last Scizor she had seen had left her body covered in cuts and grazes, but at least he was easy to take down with a powerful fire attack.
"Houndoom, use Fire Blast!" Houndoom lunged forward, opened his mouth and expelled a powerful orb of flame. Embers from the burning leaves floated across the room, a haze of grey smoke limiting visibility. That was a good and a bad thing. She hoped her Pokemon would land an attack otherwise it was going to be a long painful battle. The ball smacked the Scizor in the face. Scizor's claws started to melt, unable to handle the intense heat of Houndoom's attack. The Pokemon fainted.
Aaron brought out his next Pokemon, a large bee with a yellow ball gown-type dress with black stripes. It was obviously a female Pokemon.
Vespiquen. A female-only evolution of female Combee. It releases various pheromones to make the grubs in its body do its bidding while fighting foes.
Lazy, she thought.
"Vespiquen, Power Gem!" The bee lifted its two arms high up into the air, causing the ground to shake. The tiles ripped off revealing a layer of rocks. Multiple rocks flew at Houndoom with surprising force. Houndoom was struck and thrown against the wall. He fell to the ground, panting then climbed to his feet weakly, the wind knocked out of him.
She recalled Houndoom and brought out her Vaporean. Vaporean moved her tail back and forth, patiently waiting for her first battle command. "Vaporean, use Ice Beam!" Vaporean reared on her hind legs and opened her mouth. Her frill began to glow, a crystalline casing of ice forming over it. A solid beam of ice left her, hitting the queen bee in the stomach. Vespiquen dropped to the ground encased in ice.
Aaron returned his bee and gave Dawn an approving nod. "Cynthia did say you were a strong trainer. You know, it's been a long time since I've done battled against a strong opponent! But I'm not done yet. Go, Heracross!" Another Pokemon Dawn recognized. Barry had one on his team. "Use Close Combat!" Heracross charged forward, and placed its horn beneath Vaporean's body, throwing her upwards into the ceiling. Vaporean hit the top then came crashing down. She stood up, looking slightly dazed.
Dawn recalled her and sent out Honchkrow. "Honchkrow, use Aerial Ace!" The avian took to the air then swooped down, the feathers on his wings turning into temporary blades. He slashed at the Heracross' belly. Heracross brought its upper limbs to its thorax and rubbed it tenderly before toppling forward. Another Pokemon down. As long as she took advantage of their significant weaknesses, she should be able to get through this easily.
"Go, Drapion!" Aaron said, throwing out another Pokemon to replace his fallen one. A purple scorpion-like creature emerged, gnashing its huge pincers at the air around it.
Drapion. Possessing a sturdy build, it takes pride in its strength, taking down foes without using toxins.
Recalling her Honchkrow, Dawn replaced the avian with Gengar, hoping to make use of his hypnosis ability. Gengar danced around, smirking, as if it knew a funny joke no one else was aware of.
"Drapion, use Aerial Ace!" Drapion sprinted forward, a surprising feat for a Pokemon that looked quite cumbersome. It swung its powerful tail around, the pincers on the end turning into sharp blades. It slashed away at Gengar's body, prompting her Ghost-type Pokemon to hiss. Gengar retaliated by jumping on the Drapion's back, punching it in the back of its head.
"Gengar, use Hypnosis!" The Drapion brought its tail forward, plunging its pincers into the Gengar's back, trying to infect it with poison. Fortunately, Gengar was resistant to it and managed to put the raging scorpion to sleep, by pressing a claw against its body. Gengar pulled himself free and hopped off to move in front of the Drapion's face as the creature slept. Ghost-types moves weren't going to do much harm so she traded out her Gengar with her Torterra instead. "Torterra, use Earthquake!" He stomped his feet. The room shook and soon a crack appeared beneath the sleeping Drapion. Rocks from the ceiling dropped down, crushing anything caught in its path.
Dawn leapt out of the way as one landed right next to her and Aaron tumbled to the side to avoid another rock. Torterra withdrew himself into his shell to protect himself until the shaking stopped. Drapion hadn't been as fortunate and found itself caught under a big pile of rocks. "It's not over yet! A League Elite Four can't give up!" Aaron exclaimed, returning his Drapion to its pokeball. His starter, Yanmega, returned to the field.
Dawn replaced Torterra with Honchkrow. "Use Aerial Ace, Honchkrow!" Aerial Ace never missed. Honchkrow attacked from the air, swooping down, smacking his wings against the dragonfly, slicing off a wing.
The dragonfly fell down. Aaron's jaw dropped. "I will now concede defeat," he said. "I lost with the most beautiful and tought of the bug Pokemon… We lost because I wasn't good enough… That's it! Back to training camp! Let's hear it for me!" He threw a fist into the air and cheered, then reddened. "No… That was wrong… Anyway… Go on the next room. I'm going to become a top-level trainer who can't be outclassed with my beautiful and tough bug Pokemon!"
Dawn exited the room and followed an empty corridor to the next area. Before stepping through the doors, she made sure to give each of her Pokemon a Hyper Potion. The next room was themed to look like a cave. Dawn shuddered – she had seen enough of caves to last her a lifetime. Large, jagged rocks surrounded her. In the middle of the field was a large pond of water. Interesting, Dawn thought.
An elderly lady dressed in thick white coat greeted her warmly from across the pond. "Well, well. You're quite the adorable trainer, but you've also got a spine. Ahaha! I'm Bertha. I have a preference for Ground-type Pokemon. Well, would you show this old lady how much you've learned?" Bertha summoned her first Pokemon. A Whiscash. Another Pokemon she was familiar with. It landed in the water.
"Go Torterra!" Her mighty tortoise emerged and bellowed. "Use Energy Ball!" The tree on his back shook violently until the leaves fell off. Vines emerged afterwards to scoop up the leaves, moulding them into a glowing ball of vegetation. Torterra brought his vines forward and hurled the ball into the pond. As his earlier battles against the Wiscash of Pastoria's Gym, Bertha's one quickly fainted. This gym was going to be a breeze at this rate. Bertha summoned her second Pokemon. It looked like a cross between a hang-glider and a vampire bat.
Gliscor. If it succeeds in catching event a faint breeze properly, it can circle the globe without flapping once.
"Gliscor, use Ice Fang!"
Gliscor pounced on Torterra's back, sinking its claws into the tree's trunk to remain steady. It opened its icicle fangs and clamped them around the trunk, drawing out a long mournful cry from her tortoise. Ice covered her Torterra. Gliscor raised its tail then slammed it down with enough force to shatter the ice into hundreds of little pieces. Torterra's legs gave way and he collapsed. Dammit, Dawn thought. Not so easy then. She brought out Vaporean, hoping to take advantage of the Gliscor's severe weakness to Ice-type attacks thanks to its dual typing of Ground and Flying.
"Gliscor, use Thunder Fang!" Dawn was vaguely reminded of Volkner's Luxray's elemental fangs. Taking it out quickly was important before it wrecked her entire team. Vaporean was unable to dodge the Gliscor's lunge. Gliscor bit down, sinking its sharp teeth into her back, forcing electrical currents to pour through her body. A normal electrical attack would've wiped out her Vaporean, but the intensive training against the tough Audino had proven to be a effective in endurance building.
Vaporean managed to shake off the attack, and slapped the Gliscor away with her tail. "Use Ice Fang!" Vaporean's frill turned into ice and she expelled a beam at the Gliscor's belly, knocking it into the pool of water. The Gliscor, unable to swim, desperately splashed around, trying to grab hold of an edge to stop itself from drowning.
"A wise move," Bertha said.
Gliscor grabbed onto the edge and crawled onto the floor, huffing and puffing, exhausted. It didn't stand up again and Bertha returned it to its pokeball. She summoned her third Pokemon, a large cumbersome hippo with dark red eyes.
Hippodown. The evolved form of Hippopotas. Surprisingly quick to anger. It holds its mouth agape as a display of strength.
The hippo opened its massive bone-crushing jaws, drawing in a deep breath before exhaling again. It whipped up a wind, spraying sand in all directions.
"Use Surf, Vaporean!" Vaporean jumped into pond, disappearing from sight. Dawn wasn't sure what she was doing down there, but water gushed out of the pool, spilling out onto the field, covering it in knee-deep water. Dawn tried not to think of the water in her shoes and socks. So uncomfortable. Dawn was surprised to hear the hippo cry out. Didn't hippos spend most of their time living in water? She didn't complain though.
Bertha recalled the fainted hippo replacing it with an equally large boulder-type Pokemon.
Golem. Evolves from a Graveler when traded. It is the final form of Geodude. Even dynamite can't harm its hard, boulder-like body. It sheds its hide just once a year.
Wait. That thing could be shed? Sounded uncomfortable, she thought.
"Vaporean, use Muddy Water!" Vaporean jumped around the water making big splashes then stopped, slapping her tail hard against the ground. The surrounding water turned brown, mixing in with the dirt from the rocks. Vaporean released a high-pitched shrill cry causing the water behind her to rise. Dawn felt herself being dragged along with the current. The water on her side of the field rose up then moved forward, crashing down over Bertha and her Golem. Dawn too was dragged forward.
The wave receded. Everyone was wet and completely soaked from head to toe. Dawn grabbed her top and squeezed it, forcing a few droplets to fall out. Bertha removed her coat, gently placing it on the floor. "Well, looks like I'm going to have to install some drains in this place… Or some platforms," she said softly, smiling. "Are you ready for the final round? Let's do this! Go Rhyperior!" A large brownish-grey Pokemon with two horns appeared. Its body was covered in orange rocky plates.
Rhyperior. It evolves from a Rhydon when traded holding a Protector. It is the final form of Rhyhorn. It can launch a rock held in its hand like a missile by tightening then expanding its muscles instantly.
"Vaporean, use Surf again!" Vaporean happily obliged and jumped into the pond once more. Once again, water gushed out of the pond, covering the field once more. Despite its intimidating figure, the Rhyperior quickly fell to the water, falling forward making a big splash. That was probably one of the easiest battles yet, Dawn thought. But that's only because I have the right moves, she added as an afterthought. And being at a fairly decent level helped as well. "Well! Dear child, I must say, that was most impressive. Your Pokemon believed in you and did their best to earn you the win. Even though I've lost, I find myself with this silly grin!"
"It was luck."
She shook her head. "You're quite something, youngster. I like how you and your Pokemon earned the win by working as one. That's what makes you so strong." She started chuckling then recollected herself to continue. "I think that you can go as far you as want. The trainer in the next room is a much more formidable opponent. You really must have your wits about you. However, I think you can go as far as you desire. Go now, move onto the next room."
Dawn moved on, heading down another empty corridor before reaching the next room. Once again, she healed up her Pokemon (and revived her Torterra) and progressed through. Immediate heat greeted her and she started to sweat. This was obviously Flint's room. Unlike the previous two rooms, this one had platforms connected by a bridge. Beneath the bridge was a pit of fire which was responsible for creating the heat. She fanned herself to keep cool.
He waved out. "Hey, I remember you! You were down there at the exhibition match! Well, don't think this battle will be any easier for you because you've seen a glimpse of my ways. You had me counting the days on my fingers waiting for you to come. You know my name already, but for the sake of formalities, I'll reintroduce myself. I'm Flint, Sinnoh's Fire-type master! Let Flint see how hot your spirit burns."
He summoned his first Pokemon, a Houndoom. Dawn summoned Vaporean again, knowing the Water-type could make easy work of this gym. First, she was going to douse out the flames to stop the unbearable heat. "Houndoom, use Sludge Bomb!" His Houndoom leaned forward and expelled sticky purple slime over her Vaporean's body. The slime clung to her skin. Her Vaporean turned purple. Poisoned, naturally.
"Vaporean, use Muddy Water!" Surf was unavailable to her since there was no water around so she opted for the next best choice. Vaporean slapped her tail against the ground causing it to shake. She slapped it again and again until the walls cracked. Several pieces of rubble fell off. "Now!"
Vaporean emitted a shrill cry then lifted the rocks and directed them forward. They formed into a wall of rock, stretching from one side of the gym to the other. Some pieces fell down into the pit. There was no room for the Houndoom to escape unless it jumped into the burning pit below. Houndoom was brought to its knees within seconds as the rocks crashed down on him, knocking him unconscious.
"Aww, man," Flint said. He brought out his second Pokemon, a Flareon. Flareon was another one of the Eevee evolutions Bebe had mentioned during the tournament at Solaceon. Water-type vs Fire-type. The outcome should be predictable. "Flareon, use Overheat!"
Dawn raised an eyebrow. A Fire-type move would do little against her Vaporean. Such thought faded from her mind when the temperature in the room jumped by a couple of degrees. The fire pit below turned into a bubbling pool of lava instead. Even the tiles beneath her feet burned hot. She could feel the heat through the soles of her wet shoes. Flames burst from the Flareon's body, the flames dancing across the platform, covering whatever it touched with fire. Dawn thought her skin was going to melt off.
"Vaporean," she gasped, desperately fanning herself to cool down. "Use Water Pulse!" Vaporean didn't seem to be effected by the water and spouted forth a torrent of water from her mouth at the Flareon. Flareon was hit in the face, its fur now dripping with water, making its moves more sluggish from the additional weight.
"Flareon, use Giga Impact!" The fox-type creature bounded forward and threw itself at Vaporean, toppling her over. Vaporean fought back, beating the Flareon with her tail, tripping it over. Flareon recovered, nimbly jumped over Vaporean's next swing then pounced on her back, clawing away at the skin. With a vicious shake of her body, Vaporean managed to throw the Flareon aside. The scuffle had made her tired though. Dawn decided to recall her for a few moments rest, sending out her mighty Hydreigon in her place.
It was a good thing Hydreigon could fly otherwise his weight would bring down the bridge. "Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse!" Hydreigon flew forward and hovered above the small Flareon then slammed his tail down quickly, instead of releasing a beam, making the bridge shake. Flareon was knocked out unconscious the moment the tail landed on its head. Sometimes Hydreigon liked to use different attacks. The effects of the drugs in his system, she suspected. The original trainer, Ghetsis, still had some sort of a hold over him.
Flint returned Flareon then sent out the next Pokemon. A beautiful flaming unicorn with a needle sharp horn emerged. It reared and neighed, shaking its head from side to side, embers scattering in different directions.
Rapidash. The evolved form of Ponyta. When at an all-out gallop, its blazing mane sparkles, enhancing its beautiful appearance.
She almost felt bad about having to fight such a majestic creature.
"Rapidash, use Sunny Day!" Rapidash neighed again. The ceiling of the gym opened up allowing sunlight to flood the room. Dawn shielded her eyes from the blinding light with her right arm. The move didn't appear to do any damage thankfully – it seemed to be a set up move… either that, or just make it even hotter in here.
"Hydreigon, use Tri Attack!" The head on the left attacked first. It called down a bolt of lightning from the clouds above which struck the Rapidash on its back. The head on the right followed up with a torrent of water from its mouth, putting out the flames on the horse, and the middle head finished the move with a breath of fire. Hydreigon was a powerhouse. It almost felt like she was cheating using him.
Rapidash neighed then fainted. "I can feel your determination! Your will is overpowering me! Go for it, Infernape!" Another Pokemon she was familiar with as Barry had one himself. She recalled her Hydreigon and replaced him with Honchkrow, knowing how effective Flying-moves were against it. "Infernape, use Thunder Punch!" The ape sprinted then jumped up into the air, flinging itself against her Honchkrow. Honchkrow received a powerful punch to his stomach, almost knocking the wind out of him. He fluttered to the ground.
The avian stepped up, looking quite sore, but at least he was standing – just. "Honchkrow, use Psychic!" Honchkrow stared at the ape and stretched out his wings, his eyes turning a deep shade of purple. A purple aura radiated from his body. The monkey was slowly lifted up into the air. It tried to fight against the invisible force holding it in place, but couldn't since there was no physical target. Honchkrow squawked and an ear-piercing scream left the monkey's throat. It dropped to the floor. Her avian's eyes returned to their normal colour.
Flint recalled his fallen ape and sent out his strongest, his Magmortar. "Magmortar, use Thunderbolt!" Magmortar aimed a cannon limb towards the sky, calling down a lightning bolt from above. Honchkrow was defenceless and could do nothing as he was zapped by a powerful bolt. He fainted.
Dawn brought out her Vaporean again, hoping she could get in a quick attack before she got electrocuted too. "Use Water Pulse, Vaporean!" She sent forth a torrent of water from her mouth, putting out the flame on its body. Magmortar grunted, but remained standing. Dawn wiped her forehead with a sweaty palm. What she wouldn't give to be doused in freezing cold water.
"Use Thunderbolt again, Magmortar!"
Another bolt was called down from the clouds above and her Vaporean was thrown aside from impact. Dawn gritted her teeth. Magmortar was tougher than she had suspected. So much for relying on water to take him out. She called forth Hydreigon again to finish the battle off. "Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse!" That had to be enough to finish it off. Hydreigon launched his attack, his powerful blast sweeping the Magmortar off its feet. It fell on its backside and struggled to get back up again thanks to its bulky form.
"I don't believe it! I lost! I didn't take you for granted, but I'd never considered it! I'm blown away by this! You and your Pokemon are hot stuff!" He wiped his brow. "Whew, burnt right down to cinders. Keep going, I know your spirit burns hot. Your whole team does. The last of the Elite Four awaits you in the next room. Go for gold, Dawn!"
She was glad to get out of the heat. A minute longer and she'd probably collapse from dehydration. She stumbled out of the room, took a few moments to recollect herself then continued down the hall. One more battle to go and she'd reach Cynthia for the toughest battle in her career. She could see the reasoning behind having four trainers to beat first – it was a challenge to see if a trainer had what it took to become the next representative of the region.
The final room was quite plain in comparison to the previous ones. This one was simply a purple room with a few glowing lights in each corner. A man with long hair and wearing a fancy red suit stood in the middle. "Ah, you time your arrival well. I've just finished reading a book, you see. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lucian. I am a user of the Psychic-type. I must say, you've already proven yourself to be outstanding by coming this far. They say I'm the toughest of the Elite Four. I'm afraid I will have to go all out against you to live up to that reputation."
Her Dark-type Pokemon were going to annihilate him. She sent forth her Gengar to start off the battle. "Go for it, Gengar!"
Lucian summoned his first. A Pokemon which strongly reminded her of a clown appeared. It looked quite ridiculous, and Dawn wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. The Pokemon even had those funny clown shoes as feet.
Mr. Mime. It evolves from Mime Jr. when levelled up while knowing Mimic. It shapes an invisible wall in midair by minutely vibrating its fingertips to stop molecules in the air.
"Mr. Mime, use Light Screen!" Mr. Mime brought his hands forward and waved them around a bit, like he was conducting a symphony. He seemed to be creating an invisible barrier of some sort.
"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Gengar brought his stubby arms forward and conjured up a glowing black gaseous sphere of shadow. He hurled it forward, but it simply bounced off the invisible wall. Mr. Mime did a little jig and clapped his hands, a goofy smile crossing his face. Gengar would have to aim a little higher next time to get over the wall.
"Mr. Mime, use Thunderbolt!" Mr. Mime thrust his hands forward, releasing twin bolts of lightning. The bolts shattered the invisible barrier and struck Gengar, but did little other than make him stagger backwards a few inches.
"Counter-attack, Gengar! Use Shadow Ball again!" He created another ball of shadow and hurled it forward. This time, it hit its intended target, wiping the silly grin of the clown Pokemon's face. Mr. Mime fell on his backside, looking quite sorry for himself then dropped his head down, clown feet up in the air. If she had lost to that thing, she'd be feeling sorry for herself.
He brought out his second Pokemon, an Espeon. Another Eevee evolution to contend with. She knew a little bit about the elegant creature as well. "Espeon, use Psychic!" A purple light emanated from the gem on its forehead. Gengar was lifted up from the floor and assaulted by invisible forces then cast down to the ground, leaving behind a dent. He did not stand up again. Dawn recalled her Ghost-type and summoned her Houndoom.
"Houndoom, use Dark Pulse!" Houndoom charged then lunged. The smaller Espeon leapt out of the way gracefully, not making a single sound when it landed.
"Use Quick Attack, Espeon!" Espeon sped forward, so quickly it was just a blur. Houndoom was rammed in the side, but his larger physique kept him from falling over.
"Houndoom, use Dark Pulse again!" Sprinting forward, Houndoom lowered his head then head-butted the Espeon in the backside. Espeon fell onto its back and slashed a claw at Houndoom's face, nipping him across the snow. Houndoom placed his two front paws on Espeon's lithe body then released a wave of dark energy up close. Up this close, Espeon could do nothing to defend itself and was overwhelmed by the power. Espeon fainted.
He summoned his next one after returning Espeon. A Pokemon resembling a blue-green bell with two arms coming out from either side appeared from its pokeball.
Bronzong. The evolved form of Bronzor. It brought rains by operating portals to another world. It was revered as a bringer of plentiful harvests.
Ah, so this creepy thing was related to that freaky looking flat-faced Pokemon. Fire attacks worked well against its baby form. She saw no reason why it wouldn't work well against this one. "Houndoom, use Fire Blast!" A stream of fire left the Houndoom's mouth, encasing the Bronzong in flame, leaving black scorch marks on its body. The Bronzong emitted a low-pitch groan, shaking from side to side, to fan out the flames.
"Bronzong, use Earthquake!" Its eyes flashed white. There was silence then the entire room started to shake violently.
Dawn fell over and remained seated, figuring it was better just to sit down and wait for the quake to pass. Rocks plummeted. Houndoom was soon buried beneath a pile of rocks. Her canine yelped then fell silent. She recalled her fainted Pokemon from the ruins then sent out Honchkrow. "Honchkrow, use Dark Pulse!" A wave of dark energy left the bird's mouth, striking the Bronzong square between its eyes. It dropped to the floor, emitting a bizarre whirring noise.
He brought out his fourth Pokemon. A golden-coloured humanoid Pokemon with a moustache emerged, wielding two spoons in both hands.
Alakazam. It evolves from Kadabra when traded. It is the final form of Abra. The spoons clutched in its hands are said to have been created by its psychic powers.
"Alakazam! Use Focus Blast!" The Alakazam flung one of its silver spoons forward, bopping Honchkrow on his head. The spoon then released some invisible force which flung her bird skywards. Honchkrow hit the ceiling then came back down, landing belly first with a loud thud. He picked himself up, ruffled his feathers then took to the air, as Alakazam's spoon returned.
"Honchkrow, use Dark Pulse!" Honchkrow flew in circles above the Pokemon's head, searching for the perfect angle to take, then swooped down, hitting it in the face with his talons, making it drop its treasured spoons. Dark energy blasted it in the face. Its spoons bended backwards and then Alazakam itself was knocked over. It remained on the floor, its eyes squeezed shut.
"Hmm… Now what should I do?" Lucian said slowly. "You're good, Dawn, but I'm not done yet!" He brought out his final Pokemon, a white bipedal Pokemon. It had rounded hips and thick legs, a stark contrast to its thin green torso and blade-like arms.
Gallade. It evolves from a male Kirlia when exposed to a Dawn Stone. It is one of Ralt's final forms, the other being Gardevoir, the female equivalent of Gallade. When protecting someone, it extends its elbows as if they were swords and fights savagely.
A dual Fighting and Psychic-type then. A flying-type move should be able to deal some damage otherwise she could just rely on Hydreigon's brute power to destroy.
"Gallade, use Stone-Edge!" He slashed at the ground with his twin blades with enough force, it caused a few tiles to tear away from the floor. The tiles flew upwards and struck the avian in the belly, bringing him crashing down. Gallade finished his attack with a follow up finishing slash making her Honchkrow faint.
Time to bring out the heavy artillery again. She summoned Hydreigon and the dragon emerged from the light, gnashing at the air around him with all three heads. She wondered what Outrage did. The move tutor machine mentioned it had significant power. It was worth a try – better to experiment now than during the battle with Cynthia. "Hydreigon, use Outrage!"
Hydreigon raised his tail and tilted all three heads forward, a purple glow beginning to emanate from him. He started to trembled, the glow turning a shade of black. Dawn watched in awe – Hydreigon's middle head lifted, his eyes a bright orange, much like the colour of a flame in a fire. He beat his wings rapidly then dropped down to the floor, landing with such force it caused cracks in all the walls.
A monstrous roar tore up through the main head, causing a shudder to run down her spine. He was her Pokemon, but sometimes he worried her. She still hadn't forgotten the day when Deino had turned on her. Hydreigon started thrashing around in the air, spewing black flames everywhere, turning every inanimate object it touched into rubble.
Hydreigon moved forward, his eyes still a burning orange. Gallade was struck by one of the black flames and howled in pain. Her dragon continued his frenzied attack, slamming his tail against the ground in a continuous motion. A crack opened beneath the Gallade's feet and bits of earth flew up, throwing him skywards. He landed on the ground, but awkwardly, falling on one of his blades. Gallade tried to stand up, but couldn't, too weakened by Hydreigon's rampant attack.
Dawn tried to return her rampaging dragon, but the dragon simply knocked it away, continuing to destroy. Only when he ran out of steam did he collapse and she safely returned him to his pokeball. The gym room was destroyed now – all four glowing lights had been shattered into pieces. Lucian was going to have to spend a fair bit of time cleaning this place up.
"I see," he said, readjusting his glasses on his nose. "You getting past the three before me was no fluke. Your power is real." He flipped his hair over his shoulder and continued speaking. "Congratulations," he said, walking towards her, a hand held out. Dawn accepted his handshake. "You have beaten the Elite Four, however that doesn't mean you're done with the Pokemon League. There remains the Champion. I should warn you – the Champion is far stronger than the Elite Four. Now, go on. Step through the doorway to your final battle. I'll be reading books until the next challenger arrives. That will calm my nerves, so that I may deal with all situations without panicking. He gestured towards a door leading out of the room.
A bubble of nerves rose up within. Cynthia was beyond the doorway in her own room, expecting her to put up a grand fight. Having witnessed Cynthia's prowess in the Distortion World earlier, Dawn wasn't quite sure if she had what it took to beat the Champion. She took in a deep breath and moved towards the door.